Feelings and Videogames

on YouTube ↗19m

" summary

Argues that gameplay mechanics — not just narrative — shape bodily emotion, with concrete examples and prototypes: MedicationMeditation and Cyclothymia as lived-design artifacts, game prototypes using heartbeat monitors and scent (Death Whiff 3000) and tactile fabric, and the claim that standard controllers punish visible fear by making fidgeting detrimental. Includes notes on small-scale practice (twine workshops in psychiatric wards) and design choices that actually produce or restrain affect.

AI-written summary · about

" chapters (8)

1. 0:00Start
2. 3:03Mental Illness
3. 5:08AFFECT?
4. 6:18Anti-racism
5. 8:38Emotional and somatic responses are regulated by gameplay and controls
6. 11:11Good/Bad Feelings
7. 13:11Reparative Art
8. 16:05Feelings are important information!

" related talks

• 22mSocial and Design Factors in Video Games for Therapy and ...Emily Gorcenski · AlterConf Washington D.C. 2016
• 23mLet’s get personal! (about games)Vaida Plankyte · AlterConf London 2017
• 05mAuto-Paizo Games: Towards Understanding the Design of Games that Aim to Unify a Player’s Physical...Xiang Li, Chris Hill, Jarrod Knibbe, Florian 'Floyd' Mueller, Aryan Saini, Rakesh Patibanda, Yuzheng Chen, Andrii Matviienko, Elise van den Hoven · CHI PLAY 2023
• 19mWhat do movie directors, motorcyclists and historians know about making games?Todd Green · Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019
• 58mDiscussion panel Storytelling through game mechanicsAleksandr Shtachenko, Sergey Snisarenko, Anton Seleznev, Vladymyr Kozyk, Andrey Moroz, Dmitriy Shudra · Games Gathering 2018
• 15m101 concepts for games innovationMihai Pohontu · Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019
• 43mAmanda Nicole Curtis | Compass UX Session 2025Amanda Nicole Curtis · Compass UX Session 2025
• 25mGame Design Meets UXMarguerite Dibble · UX Burlington 2016